EFFECTS OF AXIAL PRESSURE DROP ON THE LENGTH-AVERAGED PERMEATE FLUX IN CROSSFLOW MICROFILTRATION

Abstract

Abstract A hydrodynamic model is presented which predicts the dependence of the steady-state, length-averaged permeate flux on the longitudinal pressure drop during crossflow microfiltration in both flat slit and tubular channels. The integral approach described by Romero and Davis (1988) has been extended to predict the axial variation of the transmembrane pressure drop along with that of permeate flux and cake layer thickness. The mechanism of shear-induced diffusion is employed in the analysis, which is restricted to particles with diameters of approximately 0.5–20μm (Davis, 1992), but the procedures may be extended to other particle transport mechanisms. The model predictions have been compared to the corresponding values calculated using a constant transmembrane pressure drop set equal to the arithmetic mean of those at the channel entrance and exit. The simulation results show the axial pressure drop to have the most significant effect on the average, steady-state permeate flux predictions for long, tubular channels with small critical lengths, operating under membrane resistance limited conditions and low transmembrane pressures. Neglecting the axial pressure drop, under typical operating conditions, results in as much as a 50% overestimation of the length-averaged, steady-state permeate flux. KEYWORDS: Crossflow microfiltrationAxial pressure dropTransmembrane pressure dropLength-averaged fluxShear-induced diffusion Additional informationNotes on contributorsR. H. DAVIS Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.